The Sweet Life
by Forced Smile
Summary: It's all that Roxas really wanted. Not an ice cream shop, not a job. Just… easy days. But, who knew, maybe he could make room for… AU. AkuRoku. RiSo.


Disclaimer: I own this is much as I own Blender ice cream. Hell, I don't even own a blender. So, there you go.

Hola, hombre! I know I should be working on I'm Never Quite There, but this has been tearing at me for while. This is the longest thing I've ever written, and I'm more or less proud of it. (As I'm looking at the word count, it says 8,013. Irony, hello.) I really hope you enjoy it. Also, special thanks to Pira the Sarcastic for Blender ice cream. This will be, of course, AkuRoku. Don't mind any SoKai at the moment, please. Just, grin and bear with me. Yes. Bear. Growl growl honey honey growl. Thank you.

* * *

"_Come on guys, where are we going?"_

"_Just shut up and walk, Roxas."_

"_Nami, are you still there?"_

"_Only a little longer, Roxas."_

"_Alright! Take off your blindfold!"_

"…_Where are we?"_

"_Welcome to 'Roxy Road'! Get the pun?"_

"… _What?"_

_The Sweet Life  
__Chapter One_

_

* * *

_

Alright, so Roxas was willing to admit that he had an… unnatural amount of love for ice cream. Love for the sweet, creamy, minty, chocolately, melty, sweet, delicious treat which he'd been eating daily since he was twelve. Creating and recreating and testing and tasting and sampling and sharing since he was thirteen.

He'd admit, he'd basically fallen in love when his babysitter gave him a bar of sea-salt ice cream and said "Enjoy it, Roxas! Try not to get it everywhere." Ice cream was, admittedly, a major part of his life. Truly, he couldn't even imagine what his life would be like if he hadn't come home everyday from high school to a freezer full of the luscious frozen dessert. Loving ever since that first lick. Obsessing ever since the delectable dessert had been introduced to him… or… should he say… _he_ was introduced to ice cream…?

Alright, lots of love for ice cream. Established.

So Roxas would have understood if he found a copy of the recently released "Uncle Scrooge's 100 Different Exotic Ice Creams Guide", or maybe an ice cream scooper in his present pile.

In the case though, some sort of gift giving nut gave him something amazing, like, a new ice cream machine, that would be out of the question! Too expensive! Had the box of a shiny gourmet ice cream machine been found in his pile, he would most likely have an embarrassing little fit convincing whoever gave him the gift to take it back.

So, obviously, when he found the keys to his very own ice cream _shop… _well, all he could do was gape like a fish as his brother dragged him into the building.

_His_ building.

Oh God.

H-he needed to sit down.

"Come on, Roxas!" Sora groaned, pulling his brother into the little store, "You have to give me a hand here! You're heavy! That ice cream's been getting to you or something, jeez!"

Said blond gargled a little.

"Roxas! Seriously! Help me out here!"

"I think he's just in shock, Sora." Naminé, Roxas' best friend, suggested lightly, following in after the twins with an amused smile. "Give him a minute to let it sink in."

"Yah," he mumbled, a tad blurry, "J-just give me a minute to let it sink in." … "Or two."

Sora huffed and dropped him from his arms and onto the floor- if he wasn't using his energy to flip out and thank him like crazy like he _should _be doing, he could use it to stand up by himself instead, thank you very much. "Fine."

Roxas flopped onto the tiles, face connecting with the floor and emitting a loud _smack!_ Still, though, he made no move to get back up, seeming content enough to kiss the linoleum.

Naminé snorted and leaned down next to the shocked teen, brushing her pale hand through his hair. "Are you oka-"

"YOU GUYS BOUGHT ME A FUCKING ICE CREAM STORE?!?!?'

Naminé reeled back at Roxas' outburst, but Sora just grinned. "I think it's sunk in."

"Guys! Come on!" Roxas jumped up, staring at the two as if they were insane. Which, dear God, they were! An ice cream shop! Still, though, curiously they were staring at him in a similar way... He wasn't the crazy one here! "This had to have cost a fortune!"

"You're worth it."

The exasperated teen ran a hand through his spiky blond locks, groaning in shock. "Naminé… this is ridiculous! You're way too nice."

"And you my brother," Sora chimed in, "are way too dramatic."

"Too dramatic?!" the blond then turned to his brother with wild eyes, who just stared back with a carefree smile; Roxas wrestled down the sudden but powerful urge to smack it off of his face. "I'm not being dramatic _enough_! You bought me-"

"An ice cream store. Yup." the brunet was attempting to keep his smile small… but he just couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculous face his brother was sporting; a mix between anger and impatience and confusion and indignity… Jeez. His brother's eyes were really expressive. "Does it hurt to have your eyebrows up that high, Rox?"

"Sora!"

"Roxas," Naminé grabbed Roxas' hand, gently turning his face so he was facing her. "You love ice cream. I never have seen you happier then when your eating it. You and Sora both know that college just… isn't going to happen for you guys right now."

"Naminé… I'm fine. I have savings. I'm fine doing jobs around town for right now-"

"You need an income. High school's over."

"Yah! Plus, you have a lot of really great flavors and a lot of really great ideas! People would have to be crazy not to think of your ice cream as godly! Also, the more people who come in the more money you can get! Then, more ice cream you can make, then even MORE people will come, and even MORE money, and then-"

"What Sora is trying to say," Naminé interrupted gently, once again turning Roxas to face her, "Is that we have faith in you Roxas, and you deserve this more then anyone we know."

"How the hell do you suppose I'm ready for this? Like you said, high school just ended and-"

"What have you two been doing for the last year besides," she glared at Roxas, "barely paying rent by managing many ridiculous small jobs, and," she glared at Sora, "mooching off my sister?"

Sora tapped his chin. "I, uh, bought my brother an ice cream store?"

Roxas tapped _his_ chin, "I, uh, murdered my brother and his girlfriend's sister because they bought me an ice cream store?"

Nami giggled, albeit a bit tiredly, and collapsed onto the cold white tile next to her best friend, followed quickly by Sora who, quite literally, _collapsed_ onto it. Roxas wondered whether arms actually bended that way, or if his brother was just talented. He dismissed it as his brother's talent, and shoved the little wriggling question of whether his brother had just broken his arm on command into the back of his dazed, whirling mind.

"Roxas, Sora and I decided you can't keep doing this to yourself. We pooled our money, put down the first month of rent, and went through a lot of trouble all for _you_, so please just try to accept this? If only for a little?" The petite blonde flipped her hair over her shoulder, Roxas figured so that she guilt him better with her forget-me-not blue eyes.

Roxas frowned, border lining an all out pout, but finally sighed with a nod of quiet temporary acceptance. H-he couldn't believe he'd just done that, accepted to an ice cream shop ownership proposal of sorts. Was he really sure he wanted to do that? He still could become a writer, or an actor or something. He'd heard the dance business was something of a hit. Maybe he could even become a prostitute! There had to be _some _money there, right?!

He couldn't take it back though, because Naminé smiled sweetly, and kissed Roxas on the cheek, before she quickly added a warm hug to the "Oh Roxas, I know you're going to love this!" happiness combo.

"Oh, Roxas. I know you're going to love this!" she stood and dragged him up with one small hand, hugged again, then deposited him in the nearby metal chair his brother was no longer preoccupying. Quick as a hummingbird, she was giggling and skipping over to the counter, flipping up the counter-gate and skittering into the back kitchen. "This place is wonderful! Look, there's a freezer in here, and an ice cream machine-"

"This must have been so expensive…" Roxas' muttered, eyes flitting around the blank, white walled building, swollen mind still trying to swallow the whole _I'm going own this place _concept.

"Yah, well stop thinking about that and look around!" Sora clapped his brother on the back, and hopped up from where he had plopped down on the floor. He grabbed Roxas' arm and dragged him to follow after the small blonde who was frittering about from nook to cranny, chirping like a bird. A hyper, hysteric bird.

"You've got to see this place." the brunet convinced, flipping over the counter and encouraging Roxas to follow after. Who didn't. "It's insane."

"You're insane."

"Roxas, come look at these shelves!"

"You're both insane." he sighed. It was already turning out to be quite a hell of a birthday.

And it all had only started there, at Roxy Road.

His _ice cream_ store.

* * *

"Kairi said she's on her way," Naminé mentioned offhandedly around two, slipping out from behind the counter. "She said her boss is making her work until three."

"Cuz', obviously, night shift's not enough." Sora snorted, yawning in his seat and kicking his feet up onto the nearby table.

"I really do feel bad for her," Roxas sympathized, absent-mindedly playing paddleball with one hand. "Her boss's a jackass."

"He always does this," sighing and tucking a lock of wheat hair behind her ear, the small girl traced her crayon idly over her page as she sat down at Roxas' table. "He asks her to stay a few hours out of 'friendship' then doesn't pay her overtime."

And that's bad because she needs the money." Naminé continued, shading in her drawing lightly.

"For what?" Roxas inquired, paddling the paddleball. _Pat pat pat pat pat-_

"She wants to buy this pair of shoes-"

"Figures." Sora snorted.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" The bell above the door chimed merrily, door swinging open to allow a wine-haired girl, slim and curvy, to blade in on lilac skates. She haphazardly flew into the room, swinging full circle in an attempt to stop herself. "Geez, I need to learn how to use the breaks on these…"

"Kairi," Naminé pouted, standing to allow her sister to grip her shoulders and come to a halt, "You're going to scratch the floor…"

"What do you mean 'figures', Sora you jerk?!" the other girl ignored, shouted, unbuckled, and threw her helmet onto Sora's lap, causing him to 'OOF!' and fall back from where he'd been leaning back in his seat. She began to kneel to unlace her rollerblades, but promptly fell on her butt.

"Shoot!" the girl rubbed her lower back, and hissed a string of profanities under her breath as she worked the strength back up to stand. "Owowowowow-"

"Kai, you okay?" Sora was obviously suppressing a laugh not so well, Roxas mused to himself, running a hand through his spikes. He loved his brother, but he'd never been a good liar, especially to Kairi who knew him front and back. "Have a nice trip? And-"

"Sora, I swear if you even attempt to say 'and how about your fall' I'm going to slaughter you."

"… Sorry."

"That's what I thought."

Roxas scoffed, continuing to _pat pat pat _away. "You guys are doofuses."

Looking scandalized, Kairi pulled a tiny wrapped gift from the purse attached to her waist belt. "Anyway, I'm only stopping by to drop off your present and steal Naminé's car, Roxas, happy birthday!" the wine-haired girl stood shakily, sliding up behind Roxas chair to kiss him on the cheek and hand him the small box.

"Roxas, don't go stealing my girlfriend. I know you want one, but really. She belongs to me." Sora called from the floor.

With a growl, the blond chucked his paddleball at his brother and narrowly missed his head as the teen ducked out of harm's way. Damn, his aim was getting shaky. He'd have to work on that.

With a snort, Kairi swatted Roxas on the head. "Behave, my BF's not your punching bag."

"Yah. He is."

"HEY!"

Continuing to skate over to Sora and lend him a hand, Kairi extended her arm to help pull her boyfriend up. "Kairi, you know he's only jealous. That's why he beats me up, see?" Nodding, Kairi leaned back to give Sora momentum as the brunet attempted to swing himself up, only to slide backwards and proceed to kick him in a… very unfortunate place.

"OH MY G--"

"Karma!" Roxas sung, smiling away.

Kairi, sprawled on her back beneath Sora's weeping form, pecked him on the lips and shoved him off.

"I gotta get back," she snickered quietly, snatching her helmet from the linoleum and standing, she wished the birthday boy a happy day, drawled a "Love you, Sora-kins, but if we can't children, it's over" for her boyfriend, and a "bye-bye Nami, I'll have your car back soon, know what, probably not, never mind, forget you ever owned a car," for her sister, then sped out the door.

It was around the time the bell jingled with Kairi's departure that the two blonds in the room heard the faint sounds of sobbing the brunet was emitting. He was heaped on the floor, hand clutching his crotch, rocking back and forth in the fetal position. Roxas regretted leaving his camera at home.

"Oh my god, Sora are you okay?" Naminé cried, rushing to Roxas' younger brother's side.

"He's fine. He's just learning the lesson of the gods that there is no way I'm jealous. At all. Ever."

"But shouldn't we-"

"He's fine. Just let him cry it out."

Later, Roxas would _maybe_ feel a little guilty, but he would just dismiss it as indigestion and keep watching Teleteubbies. No wait, keep watching wrestling, manly, manly wrestling. Yah.

* * *

"And what about for that mint and marshmallow thing?" Roxas inquired lazily, scribbling down 'A Flavor's Threesome' under Neapolitan with his crayon, and pausing to take a bite from his cake.

"MINTY AWESOME EXPLOSION!" Sora sceamed. The suggester gripped Roxas' arm, shaking the blond out of his wits for good measure, before letting go and retreating back to his seat in front of the bed.

"That's definitely… a good backup Sora, if we can't find anything else… we'll call it that."

Pout. "Kairi, you've said that about the last three I wanted. Be more supportive."

Roxas snorted, settling for 'Mint Moon'. "Yah, Kairi. Be more supportive."

The wine haired girl furrowed her eyebrows and gently frowned, muttering "Shut it, Blondie." under her breath and biting into her fudge bar savagely. Sora crawled on the floor towards the girl, where she was sitting in Roxas' computer chair, limping on two legs and one hand like a kicked puppy.

Roxas only laughed as the college girl grew soft and joined Sora in the pout-parade.

"God, you guys are such girls."

"HEY-!"

"Yup."

"So," Naminé, from where she had been sketching at the head of the bed (versus Roxas being at the foot), piped up. "What else do you want to put on there?"

Roxas hummed and scratched his temple. "How about--"

"MOOSE TRACKS!" Sora exclaimed, grinning jovially. His blue eyes glistened with border line childish excitement. Sometimes Roxas wondered is Sora had a volume switch. Because he could just GET SO FREAKING LOUD. "We can call it Mr. Shniggle Fudgey Cream Moose Track Surprise!!! That would definitely make kids buy it, reminds them of moose-s, and like, shniggles. Whatcha think Rox?! That might be my best one yet." The lanky boy wiggled in spot on the beige carpet, reminding Roxas of a dog that really, really needed to go pee.

"Uh…" Roxas suppressed a laugh.

Puppy dog pout. "Rooooox?"

"Hey, y'know, you could name the turtle thing Blender. 'I'll take a Blender,' How awesome is that?" the girl in the armchair inquired, entertained smile on her full, carnation pink lips. .

"Be quiet, Kairi, seriously."

"Roxas! Don't be mean to her!"

"Sor, you know I can't help it!"

Kairi giggled, and the sound had never sounded so much like Satan in his ears, leaning forward in her chair with a cheeky grin. "Yah, Roxas. Don't be mean to Kairi."

He glared, severely unamused, but still kind of scared beneath the surface. Satan and Kairi had the same amount of syllables…

"Hey, Roxas?" The smaller, slighter blonde sitting at the top of the bed poked Roxas in the back with her sandal. "What do you think of," she turned her sketchbook around for him to see, "this as the logo?"

"I KNOW! FOR CHOCOLATE, WE CAN CALL IT 'EROTIC FANTASIA'!"

"Can we name a flavor 'refrigerator'?"

Roxas sighed, wiping his hand over his eyes and laying back against the bed. He really needed to get friends that didn't work him late into the night about ice cream flavors and chocolate and hooker names for said chocolate ice cream flavor. "Look guys. I'm really tired. Can we talk about this tomorrow? It's late and we've been planning all day."

Sora yawned (creating a chain of around the small bedroom) and stood, stretching his short limbs with a satisfied sigh. "Fine, we'll be over tomorrow, right Kairi?"

In reply, the college freshman "hn"-ed, shrugging herself off his chair and running a hand through her tresses. "Sure, why not?"

"Me too, I'll be here too." Naminé contributed, finishing her yawn and sitting up. She stood and smoothed out her white sundress, flashing Roxas a rosy lipped smile and pecking him on the cheek. "Goodnight, Roxas. Happy Birthday!"

"Night, guys." After walking the three to the door and confirming 11:30 as the time, Roxas made his way back through the apartment. He pulled his T-Shirt off, throwing it in the hamper near his closet door and grabbed a sleep shirt out of his drawer.

After finishing brushing his teeth, and fluffing his hands through his already tousled blonde lockes in an _attempt_ to get a less messy hairstyle, and failing, he pulled the phone off the hook on his way back to his bedroom.

The number came naturally, the tone ringing in his ear like a slow heartbeat.

_Riiiing._

_Riiiing._

_Riiiing._

_Riiiing._

_Please leave a message at the beep. _

"… H-hey mom. It's Roxas. I'm calling to uh, say goodnight. Hope you're feeling better. It's my birthday today, and I understand if you, uh, forgot to call or anything. Or maybe I missed your call. How have you been? I wish you'd just," Roxas fingers twirled the cord around and around his fingers nervously, "y'know, pick up the phone. If you're in bed, I um, I hope you sleep good, I-I guess. Did Sora tell you what he got for me? About the-?"

_Beep._

"…I …Goodnight Mom."

* * *

_Beepbeep! Beepbeep! Beepbeep! Be-_

Roxas groaned in pure unadult rated pleasure as he sprawled out on the sheet, popping his joints and straining his sleep taut muscles. "Ngh…"

He rolled himself off the bed and into the bathroom, and lazily the nineteen year old twisted his neck left and right as he strolled in. The cold water from his sink was a pleasant contrast to the stale sweat as he washed his sleep-numbed face.

The reflection in the mirror looked no different than the day before. Tanned blonde boy. Blue eyes, clear and bright. Blonde tufts swept to the side. Face still holding that childish innocence. Face pleasantly blank, not unhappy, but just lacking the smile that was ever present on his older brother's face. Nineteen. Not much had changed…

A familiar tune bounced off the walls of the apartment, drifting into the bathroom where the phone's owner's toothbrush was hanging out of the side of his mouth, making him look like the neighbor's dog, Pluto.

Roxas snorted, rushing out into the living room, still in his boxers.

"Arf," He drawled into the receiver, and plopped into the nearby kitchen chair.

"_What?" _

"Oh, Zexion." Roxas snorted, sitting up straighter in his seat (it was a habit around the older male, to try and look his best). Zexion rarely called, being a college student. Piled with homework, and it was probably the main reason Roxas was happy he DIDN'T go to college. Well, couldn't. It barely mattered to him one way or another, he was just happy he could still get a chance to talk to the indigo haired psychology major every so often. "Hey."

"_Why did you bark at me?"_

"I thought you might be Sora."

"_And you bark at your brother?"_

… "Not every day."

A quiet chuckle whispered through the phone and Roxas had to smile, Zexion didn't _laugh _everyday.

"_Alright. I couldn't reach you yesterday, I was at class all day. Happy birthday, though."_

"Thanks, Zex." Roxas stood up and made his way to the counter, reaching for his coffee maker. His old babysitter's indignant huff could be heard through the phone.

"_Don't call me that."_

"Zexy?"

"_Roxy." _And there was the wince Zexion was going for, unseen.

But Zexion always did have excellent hearing.

And that one, annoyed twitch was heard across oceans.

"_Exactly. So what did you get?" _the bluenette on the other line asked casually, voice smug.

"… some ice cream."

"_Ice cream?"_

"A store full of it…"

"… _an ice cream store?" _the amused lilt in Zexion's voice was badly concealed if the man was even trying.

"_Is that a joke?"_

"No…"

"_Alright, I'll be over to see the… store later, then. I suppose. With your present." _

"Zexion, you didn't need to get me anything…"

"_Well, I did. I have no classes from four until six. Is that alright? I'll drop by the apartment and we'll- HEY!"_

Roxas jumped, startled by the sudden outburst. He'd accidentally spilled coffee powder on the counter, but he was a bit too distracted to truly care at that moment. "… Zex-?"

"_Put that down! Demyx!"_

"Um…"

"_I swear if you don't put that down…"_

At this point a second voice drifted into Roxas' ear from Zexion's end of the line. _"And what are you gonna do? Beat me with your bo- OW! HEY! FUCK! STOP, ZEXION THAT HURTS!"_

"_PUT IT DOWN!"_

"… Zexion…"

"_IT'S JUST A BOOK! What, is this Sexy-Zexy's diary? Huh, is it? …OWOWOWOWOWOW-"_

"_I do not have a fucking diary!"_

"_Journal then?"_

"_Demyx."_

"_Whaaaaat?"_

"_Come here."_

"_I don't trust you…"_

"_Demyx. Come here."_

"… Uh." Roxas fell dumbstruck at the conversation he was hearing. _Who the hell is Demyx? One of Zexion's fri-?_

"_-"_

"_Where did you get the audacity to say I have a diary?!"_

"_ZEXIONZEXIONOWOWOWLETGO."_

"_No. _You _let go!"_

"Uh… Zexion?"

Zexions voice crackled back into the phone, completely calm, which kind of scared him. …Did he say kind of? He was absolutely terrified. Yah, that's what he meant. "Yes, Roxas?"

The blond asked slowly, like there _wasn't_ murder coming in as background noise, if everything was okay, and Zexion "confirmed" that yes, everything was, and no, that screaming in back WAS in fact the T.V. Again.

No really.

Don't you worry.

Happy birthday.

See you around four.

_Click._

Sometimes… Roxas was pretty sure Zexion was a runaway convict. With a long, long list of murders. But, he still did love him like a brother.

Even if he hadn't ever seen Lexeaus come out of his closet. The one Zexion tied him up and left him in.

He sneaked a peek over at his closet door and concluded that the screams he had heard in bed that night had _also_ been coming from a television.

… Hopefully.

Roxas walked by his closet slowly, as if something big and dead, that wasn't a coat and might've _possibly_ been a 6,6 buffed out zombie ex-boyfriend of Zexion's, might jump out at any moment to tear him limb from limb.

So he created a lifelong clear, bold mental note at the front of his mind.

It _still_ wasn't a good idea to piss Zexion off.

And it _probably _never would be.

* * *

"Wow," Roxas smiled at his old babysitter, nodding his head.

"Yeah, I know," the ice cream entrepreneur laughed, "I was really blown out of the water by it too."

"… Wow." Zexion just repeated.

The college sophomore stepped around in a circle a few times, looking at the store. That morning, when Nami, Kairi, and Sor showed up at the building, Roxas cleaned the tiles, and dusted the place top to bottom. They'd moved in a couple cans of light colored paints, pink, green, blue and yellow, and had started on the pink wall already. The white counter was washed, and the built-in kitchen was shiny as well. The building smelled like Pine Sol, and looked like a genuine store-in-the-works.

"Where the hell did Sora get this type of money?" Zexion questioned, stratus cloud eyes still darting around the shop like it was an illusion, and would disappear when Roxas admitted he didn't get any money, and the place wasn't actually his. But Roxas couldn't admit that.

"He pulled together with Naminé." Roxas admitted instead, and reclined against the wall, crossing his arms. Zexion shook his head, apparently appalled at the idea.

"Oh, Roxas, you know you're going to have to pay them back."

"See, that's the thing. They don't _want _to be paid back. They want a job. They're going to give me a hand here, instead." The blond smiled. "I told them of course they'd be allowed to work here, it wasn't like I was going to turn them away. Besides, I was going to make them work here for forced pay anyway, employment is just easier."

Zexion snorted and Roxas motioned for him to follow him outside. "Come on, let's go get something to eat. I own you for the next two hours, so we're going to go have some fun. With food."

"With food?" Zexion laughed, fluffing the curtain of light indigo hair covering his left eye. Roxas nodded, and confirmed, that yes. They were going to, indeed, have fun. With. Food.

* * *

"So, are you sure you're ready to actually run a shop, Roxas?" As the two sat down at their table, at the local _Geppeto's_, Zexion opened his menu and asked the blond taking up the other seat his question.

Roxas shrugged, and ran his eyes down the entrees. "I'm not quiet sure. I mean, I'm nervous as hell, but even Sora pointed out it's something I have a passion for, y'know? How can I mess up something I love to do?"

"You don't sound very sure, then, if you're relying on Sora to prove to yourself you're ready for this." Zexion chuckled. "But Roxas, this is a huge responsibility. Do you know how rent works? Are you ready to learn, if not? Are you positive you love ice cream enough to make it your life long passion?"

"Geez, Zexion. This isn't exactly my life turning point." Roxas chuckled. Zexion was making him a tad uncomfortable, what with all the personality analyzing. Sometimes Zexion being in the psychology department seemed much too eerily perfect that Roxas wondered whether Zex would become a mad genius, and understand everyone's emotions perfectly until they all just died from his mad genius…-ness.

Maybe Roxas not being in college was for the better. He might scare his professors. He didn't exactly make a lot of sense most of the time, but that was just his personality, he supposed. Either way, Sora had it worse that way, so Roxas was allowed to laugh it up.

Ahaha. See? He was laughing. … Ahaha.

Ha.

"See, Roxas, that's the thing. It just might be. It just _might be_ where your life changes paths, for better or for worse, depending on whether you decide you're ready for this step or not. You didn't have any income, so you're starting off the business with virtually no finances. It takes money to make money, Roxas, you and I both know that." Zexion shrugged, and sighed.

"And if business is slow, you don't have any money to get you through the hard time. You'll always have that chance Roxas, that chance of being 100% flat broke."

Roxas snorted, "So basically, I'll always have the chance of being like a college student?"

Zexion smiled, thin lips gleaming a warm nostalgic sheen. "Yes, I suppose so. Maybe I should've skipped college, too. Opened an ice cream shop. Saved myself the trouble."

Roxas grinned. "And that, Zexion, is why _I'm_ the superior one. I win."

"Maybe so, Roxas. Hope so."

At that point, a tiny waitress came over, introduced herself as Xion, and left with two drink orders for an elixir and a mana potion.

"Hey, Zexion?" Roxas asked after she left, "What was the deal with that guy on the phone yesterday?"

And at that point, Roxas was pretty sure hell was freezing over, because Zexion _blushed. _It might've inspired him to become a poet had he not just received an ice cream shop for his nineteenth birthday.

"That was Demyx, and he's a moron."

"So you two are dating?"

"He's _my_ moron." Zexionn admitted, smiling slightly and laughing under his breath. "I met him in my Going Green class."

"Did he ask you out, or did you ask him?" Roxas gushed. He admitted, he was a bit girly when it came to this kind of stuff, but gossip was pretty hilarious. He had to admit. Especially that one time Olette started that rumor Hayner liked Seifer and Pence told Rai, who told Seifer that Haner liked him, and proceeded to drag the dirty blond off and into a janitors closet.

Even though Hayner was _not_ gay for Seifer.

Still, though, they were dating all through senior year, and had moved to Hollow Bastion to live in the city together. So, Olette had basically turned Hayner Seifer-sexual.

But, no one cared about that, really. It was bound to happen eventually.

But, Roxas was babbling.

"He asked me out. We were recycling paper to use for our exams, and he made a piece in the shape of a sitar--"

"A what?"

"He plays a sitar,"

"A what?"

Zexion flapped his wrist, "It doesn't matter, really. It isn't exactly a crucial plot point in the story." Xion arrived at the table with their drinks and set them down on the coasters. After she took their food orders, she thanked them and stole their menus, and proceeded to retreat back to the kitchen for the next half hour before their food came.

"Anyway. On the paper was a poem, really, very cheesy. Really, very Demyx. Then, under that he wrote something about this café that's off campus. We went, obviously.

"At the café, after I sat down with the tea I ordered, he asked if the poem had been a bit of an overkill. I told him 'No, it was sweet' and he told me he wrote me a poem because I had the 'emo patch' working for me.

And he told me emos were supposed to like poetry, and he thought it fit, and I left. He called later, though, apologized, kept me on the phone for an hour because of his unnecessary babbling, and convinced me he talked much too much for his own good. But eventually I found myself enjoying his story despite its length, and next thing I knew-"

"You were hitting him with a book?"

Zexion smirked. "Precisely."

Roxas laughed and took a sip of his Mana, embracing the burning of the carbonation sliding down his throat, the bubbles popping in his esophagus, and finally enjoying how it left behind a refreshed sort of sensation. "So, will I ever get to hear this guy?" He crunched on a piece of ice that had accidentally slipped in between his lips.

"I doubt it, I'll probably buy him a muzzle if I don't kill him first," Zexion said nonchalantly, shrugging.

"I swear, sometimes you scare me." Roxas confessed.

"That's the idea, sometimes." Zexion returned.

Roxas smirked. "Touché."

* * *

Outside, as Zexion was about to bid Roxas farewell, he handed him a neatly wrapped box, topped with a bow.

"Zexion, I told you I didn't want anything for my birthday."

"Well it's already in your hands, so enjoy it." Zexion dismissed, and climbed into the backseat of the cab. "Roxas, I really am proud of you, and I am, admittedly, the least bit overwhelmed your growing up without me, and I trust you to make the right decision, one well thought out, and reasonable, regarding the store. And your future. But I'm sure that'll be easy enough, you've always exceeded expectations."

"Thanks Zexion, that means a lot."

With a final wave, and a final "Happy Birthday, Roxas, I'm happy for you," Zexion rolled up his window and the cab vibrated back to life, humming down the street before it took a right out of his line of sight.

Roxas sighed sadly, he wasn't sure when the next time he's see Zexion would be, but he hoped it would be soon. Hesitantly he looked down at the box, and, slowly, neatly unwrapped it.

There, shiny hard back and completely brand new, was a copy of "Uncle Scrooge's 100 Different Exotic Ice Creams Guide".

And the irony of it all almost made Roxas laugh himself into a coma.

After he left his mom another voice message, Roxas laughed himself asleep that night.

* * *

He seriously wasn't feeling very secure standing on Sora's shoulders at the moment, mainly because said brunet was wearing rollerblades, but also because he was holding a very pointy nail, and a very heavy hammer; also, he was at the same time mildly head banging to a song on the radio, which in retrospect, probably wasn't best combined with roller skates, hammer and nails. As Sora had pointed out, though, it was going well so far. What did he have to be scared about?

… Except dying…?

Eh. But that was unlikely. … Or not.

Roxas cautiously stepped down from his brother's shoulders with a satisfied grin on his face, and straightened the photo of the ice cream cone, with a hundred scoops towering and perched precariously upon one another in still motion, each reflecting their very own corner of the rainbow, and back dropped by grey. Truthfully, they'd gotten it at their garage sale adventure for fifteen dollars. It was pretty much unwanted. Still, it hung proudly on the fully painted pastel pink wall, and Roxas liked it enough to keep it there.

Across the room, on the other, lime pastel wall, hung a collage of photos of the Eiffel tower, and Italy, and gelato, and lots of other one way or another stereotypically ice cream-y things. Like a photo of milk that Sora picked out. Or a picture of a glacier that Sora picked out. Or a picture of Michael Jackson (which Roxas suspected was some sort of pedophile joke that he secretly thought was hilarious) that Sora picked out.

All in all, after the first week of work they'd put into the store, it was really starting to truly feel like home, or, uh, Roxy Road. Why did Sora pick out a ridiculously embarrassing name like that to name his ice cream

store?! … He figured it was better than Mr. Shniggle's Fudgey Cream Moose Track Surprise Ice Cream Emporium, though, so he chose not to complain. Much.

In the week that had passed, the tiles had been waxed, the walls had been painted four different pastels (pink, green, blue, and yellow), Sora had taken his decoration adventure all around to different Twilight Town garage sales, and Kairi rolled in and messed up the wax Roxas laid down every once in a while, would distract Nami and Sora, and eat the different ice cream flavors Roxas had created in between working and resting, and stored in the freezer. So things were kind of getting done, and kind of not, but that was what made the place truly feel like home, he figured, his home with his friends, at least. His mom and himself weren't exactly rollerblading around and eating ice cream. That did seem kinda nice though. No matter how unlikely.

Which was why, he supposed, dreams were better left in sleep, huh? He doubted they'd be rollerblading through the streets any time soon. He was used to that fact, already, though.

"I think it looks great!" Sora announced from his spot atop one of the shiny, new tables Naminé had picked out. He smiled brightly at everyone, then connected his thumbs and index fingers to make a rectangle. He continued to spin a 360 angle, framing the shop in all different moving pictures within his fingertips. "I still think it could use more Pop King-"

"Sora," Kairi laughed, licking at a strawberry cone, "Not every six year old is going to get a child molestation joke."

"Not _every_ six year old, Kairi, but surely any six year old who discovered it first hand would get it, that's who I'm aiming at." The brunet leaped over the counter as Roxas hopped onto it, kicking his legs back and forth and drumming against his lap.

Roxas grinned, "I _knew_ it was a pedophile joke!"

"See, Roxas? This is why I'm dating your brother. We get this stuff first hand, this stuff takes you a bit."

"And I like candy!"

Kairi nodded. "And he likes candy."

The blond protested he too liked candy, and Kairi simply pointed out Sora liked it more. He then pointed out that he'd been the one who had to go to the school nurse because he ate himself into a near candy coma, which Kairi simply retaliated with a quick "Sora _was_ in a candy coma." Roxas just finally gave in, and told her he wouldn't go out with her anyway, and Kairi laughed and said she knew that, duh, and she was just messing with him.

The tinkling little bell rang as Naminé opened the front door, powder blue flip flops popping against the tile as she strolled in shuffling a pile of papers.

"These are the last of the files," she announced, handing them to Roxas. "According to the city of Twilight Town, as soon as your signature is placed on this," she pointed to an x next to a dotted line with an unpainted, but filed nail, "Roxy Road is finally officially open for business!" Roxas smiled and slung an arm around her shoulder in a half hug, pulling her in to kiss her cheek. He liked how he could do this type of thing with her, like they were siblings or something. Sora wasn't exactly someone Roxas expected to let him kiss on the cheek.

… Actually… Ugh.

"You're a better sister than Sora," Roxas decided, and his "sister" giggled, brushing back a strand of thin wheat hair.

"No she's not…" Sora mumbled, walking back in the room.

Kairi snorted and leaned casually, almost desperately, against the unfilled condiment counter they'd moved in earlier that week. Roxas could tell the extra hours were exhausting her, he suspected she'd probably fall over if she wasn't distracting herself with her ice cream cone. "He's only joking, So." She tossed a tuft of cherry red hair out of her eyes and cocked her head, gazing at her boyfriend with amused blue eyes.

"Doesn't mean it doesn't hurt," Sora fake sniveled, pointing a trembling finger at his heart. Roxas rolled his eyes. "Because it does. It hurts, it hurts right here. You know, in my heart, that thing _you_ don't have, Roxas?" the brunet laughed, shooting his brother a lopsided grin, and narrowly avoiding the pen his brother launched his way.

"Shut up, Goof." the blond laughed, picking up another pen from the writing utensil pile Nami had dumped on the table.

Roxas slumped over the paper, eyes taking in each sentence, slowing his breathing until it had almost frozen in his throat.

_Signature on this following line indicates that the owner of **Roxy Road** __agrees to take full responsibility of the property in question for each paid month, accepts all copyrights, accepts all responsibilities, read through zoning permits and will not exceed the property with any plant/decoration/sign/advertising space/etcetera unless additional property is purchased, and finally accepts to all random/scheduled health inspections. Federal documents and taxes apply, any and all rent unpaid at the end of a month is grounds for expulsion from the property. _

_Landlord: x. __Xigbar Machiavelli_

Beneath the boring legal information was a crisp, blank line. Clearly labeled "Tenant", where his name would go. Roxas hesitated, blue eyes reading and rereading "full responsibility" over and over again.

Naminé leaned over his shoulder and murmured, 'Remember, this is a big step, Roxas." She shifted her head so that her own thin, blonde hair fell over Roxas' own shoulder, and that so her own sky glazed eyes could meet with Roxas' own. "Are you sure you're ready for this?"

He thought back to looking in the mirror earlier that morning, and seeing the same eighteen year old who graduated from high school with straight A's and didn't make it to college. He thought about the same, youthful cheeks, and bright eyes, and tanned skin. Just he was suddenly nineteen. Time hadn't stopped, and despite that, he hadn't even changed. Time just turned.

But, now he was suddenly holding a pen, and a piece of paper declaring him a working man, and an opportunity for his mom to _finally_ be proud of him--

"Roxas, are you ready for this?" Naminé repeated.

_Are you ready to work? Are you ready for rent? Are you ready to grow up? Are you ready to leave this self-pity behind? Are you ready to step forward? Are you ready to take the chance? Are you ready to accept this unclear future? Are you ready to spend your life doing what you love? Are you ready to prove your mother wrong? Are you ready to prove your mother right?_

"_Roxas?"_

He nodded, took a deep breath, and signed.

A quick, but fluid line of ink. Roxas Hikari. Official tenant of Roxy Road.

Around him, his friends were cheering and hugging him, squishing him in their arms and chanting their happiness for him. And. He smiled too. Truly smiled. He was ready. That was it.

Suddenly, it was the sweet life.


End file.
